IKEA and Banned Books Week

Caption30 years of banned books

The American Library Association has been raising awareness about censorship for years. In fact, it's the 30th anniversary of Banned Book Week, a celebration of books that have been challenged, censored of pulled from shelves. That's because where there are books, there seem to be people who want to ban them. Why? Sometimes it's because there's language they don't like, or ideas they're uncomfortable with. And sometimes... well, it's because people seem to be able to take offense at just about anything. Check out this list of 30 books that have been banned for all sorts of bizarre reasons.

The American Library Association has been raising awareness about censorship for years. In fact, it's the 30th anniversary of Banned Book Week, a celebration of books that have been challenged, censored of pulled from shelves. That's because where there are books, there seem to be people who want to ban them. Why? Sometimes it's because there's language they don't like, or ideas they're uncomfortable with. And sometimes... well, it's because people seem to be able to take offense at just about anything. Check out this list of 30 books that have been banned for all sorts of bizarre reasons.

The Swedish furniture company acknowledged that catalogs distributed in Saudi Arabia were retouched, with women disappearing from some photos. For example, the Swedish publication Metro noted that an original photo showed a pajama-clad woman standing at a bathroom sink, with two children and a man nearby -- the very picture of "Leave it to Beaver" wholesomeness. But in the Saudi version, the woman has vanished -- even her reflection in the mirror is gone.

In a statement, IKEA's worldwide franchisor said the retouchings occurred during the "work process" but were not requested by the Saudi franchisee. IKEA said it had "reviewed several of the discussed pictures, for example the women in front of the bathroom mirror ... . Those pictures could very well have been included in the Saudi Arabian catalogue. We will naturally review our routines and working process, to ensure that this will not happen again. We deeply regret that mistakes have been made in this instance."

Meanwhile, the 326 challenges in 2011 reported by the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom go well beyong catalogs, to include classics such as "Brave New World" and "To Kill a Mockingbird. Here's the list:

This is Banned Books Week, an annual awareness campaign during which librarians and others celebrate free speech by highlighting those books challenged most during the year. Every year, the list gets longer. Here's a look at some of the books that have been banned and challenged across the U.S.

Vice President Joe Biden's associates have resumed discussions about a 2016 presidential run after largely shelving such deliberations during his son's illness and following his death earlier this year. But Biden has yet to tell his staff whether he will run or personally ask them to do any planning...